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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Burning Seal Excerpts

Hello and thank you for stopping by to read some excerpts from my
Paranormal Romantic Suspense, The Burning Seal. My first excerpt gives you a
glimpse of the conflict and chemistry between Chase and Danni, the main
characters of the story. It also reveals some of Danni’s questions regarding
the strong connection she feels toward Chase.

He moved toward her. She couldn’t breathe
for other reasons now. He placed his hand over her heart; his palm was wide
enough he touched the skin exposed by the V of her shirt. Her heart jumped. Her
stomach flipped and pulled. She resisted moving closer.

“If you can’t handle the case then you need
to back out before Sam pulls you off.”

She stepped away. “Sam doesn’t have any
reason to, unless you plan to give him one.” He folded his arms across his
chest, stubborn and strong. She forced herself to speak calmer. “I know what I’m
doing. I’m fine.”

He snapped, “Stop saying that. You’re not
fine. Your heart’s racing. Body shaking. Your face is pale and I keep thinking
you’re going to pass out at any moment.”

“It’s not easy to touch someone so evil and
not be affected. Look at me, I’m not physically hurt.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets. His
mouth pressed into a hard line.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m done for
the night,” she said.

With a stiff nod, he followed her to
collect personal effects from their desks before departing. He was quiet as
they walked to the parking lot which suited her fine since she was busy
fighting powerful feelings that had nothing to do with the case. Was she the
only one who felt the connection? Was it her imagination or did being with
Chase feel familiar?

They stopped at her car.

“See you tomorrow.” She got in and shut the
door, relieved to escape him, only to tense back up when his knuckles banged
the window. She slid the key into the ignition and lowered it.

His forearms rested on the opening. His
face inches from hers. “Call if you need anything.”

Her eyes had a will of their own and kept
dropping to his lips. She wondered how they would feel. Would the kiss sizzle
or fall flat?

“I mean it, Danni. No matter when, no
matter what time.”

Was it wicked hope or had his face drawn
closer to hers? She parted her lips as much to breathe through her nervousness
as to finally satisfy her curiosity.

Closing the distance between them, she
seized his face between her hands and kissed him. His lips opened from shock,
or desire, she didn’t know. At this point she didn’t care. She took advantage
and finally tasted him. Warm cinnamon. His kiss was a mirror of his
personality, bold and confident. She recognized the rough feel of his skin
under her palms, the pressure, and rhythm of his kiss. Why did she feel so
attuned to this man?

The thought and her attraction frightened
her. She released him abruptly. The car and everything around her seemed to
shift, and then jerk back in place. Wow.

She rolled her lips together. His heat and
taste remained on them. “Thanks. I’ll call if I need you.” She tapped the
silver button so the window shot up a notch. He jerked back and stayed there
until she reversed and fled the lot.

Oh man what was I thinking? Her
cheeks flamed from her boldness, yet, it felt good to do something so out of
character. She didn’t know where the compulsion to kiss him came from but it
felt right to go with it. And to answer her earlier question—oh yeah, there was
heat.

This next
excerpt focuses on Danni after her safe, comfortable world is destroyed and how
she struggles to make sense of what she’s learned and the danger she faces.

Pulling herself
onto the sofa she collapsed into the cushions. The cold air from the open door
blew past her, while spray from the rain cleansed her face. She really should
close it, but the police were coming and if she left it open they wouldn’t need
to kick it open.

Control of the situation, of her body,
every bit of it vanished with the demon.

She felt as if she’d blown apart and was
loosely put back together. The pieces didn’t quite fit. Arms and legs twitched
and shuddered. Her limbs refused to obey her mental command to stop. She was
coming off the adrenaline rush. She knew that. Had experience with it, yet this
time it terrified her.

She
scrutinized her arms, searching for burns or a lumpy mass under her skin. A
warning the demon imprinted his wickedness inside her when he left.

Apparently, the wound wasn’t visible.

The police arrived, red and blue lights
muted, their sirens silent. Guns drawn, they rushed inside searching for an
intruder. Paramedics ran to her side. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t answer
questions. They diagnosed it as shock, but she knew it was more than that. Her
mind buckled from the destruction of her confidence, security, and long-held
beliefs. She didn’t believe in the paranormal.

Until tonight.

She was a left-brain thinker. She worked
off evidence.

He had red eyes, a touch that burned and
superhuman strength. He took her back in time to another battle, and a woman
named Sara.

She feared everything now. She feared the
demon would return, would continue searching for the Elements; would hunt her
until he owned her soul.

Feared she was chosen to destroy him.

She couldn’t grasp what any of this meant
but only knew what she felt. The demon’s attack twisted her thinking. Logic
handed over the reins to absurdity.

Thanks again
for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed reading about Danni and Chase! Please visit
my blog or follow the link for more information on The Burning Seal.